TV News – 9/10/2013

Life is always so busy, but when I get a moment, there’s no where else I’d rather be than here, updating you on TV news. (Okay, maybe I’d rather be in Hawaii with Alex O’Loughlin, but this is definitely a close second). Let’s take a peek at what’s happening.

FOX has picked up five new comedies for the 2013-2014 season, a couple of which I am quite excited about. Jason Ritter (Parenthood) and Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) are teaming up in Us and Them (formerly known as Friends and Family). The romantic comedy is based on the British series, Gavin and Stacey. This could be the next big hit comedy for FOX, because the two of these actors are brilliant apart, but together, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Jump with me to read more.

Next, we have Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU) trying out his funny bone in Surviving Jack, based on the book “I Suck at Girls” by Justin Halpern. It’s set in the 90s, so I’m sure we will cringe with the flashbacks to bad fashion, but at the moment, I’m not too confident in its success. Meloni doesn’t put me in a giggling mood, and it’s from the team behind S#*! My Dad Says, and we all know how well that did.

Geoff Stults (The Finder) is back at it again with Enlisted, a comedy about brothers living and working on the same base in Florida.

A cop comedy from Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live) and Mike Schur (Parks and Recreation) called Brooklyn Nine Nine will join the line up.

Lastly, Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy, for those that live under a rock) is bringing us Dads, which stars Seth Green (forever “Oz” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to me, also known for a list of awesome shows that is far too long to write). Green is paired up with Giovanni Ribisi (Gangster Squad, My Name is Earl), as best friends whose lives get turned upside down when their challenging fathers move in with them. I am excited about this one as well because Seth Green is a comedic genius, but guided by MacFarlane, they will all have some shining moments.

Also in FOX news, the network has picked up four dramas for next season, but has failed to pick up Delirium (starring Emma Roberts and Daren Kragasoff). That pilot had a bit of buzz around it, but I’m sure they had their reasons.

On the pick-up list is Almost Human, from J.J. Abrams. It’s a cop drama set in the near future, when all LAPD officers are partnered up with human-like androids. Sounds interesting, but I’ll keep my assessment until the pilot is released.

We also have Sleepy Hollow, a reinvention of the classic Ichabod Crane story, starring Tom Mison (One Day) and Nicole Beharie (Shame). This could go either way, but given the fact that viewers have been eating up shows based off fairy tales (Grimm, Once Upon a Time), it may be a hit.

Then we have Rake, starring Greg Kinnear as a defense lawyer, as well as Gang Related, a story of a gang member who infiltrates and rises through the ranks of the San Francisco Police Department. This show is bringing Terry O’Quinn (Lost) back to my screen, so I hope it delivers more than his last attempt with 666 Park Avenue.

Overall, FOX is shaping up a strong season, and I am anxiously awaiting the pilots to cast a stronger opinion.

CBS has given the Chuck Lorre comedy, Mom, an early green light. CBS has its upfronts next week, but it’s no surprise that this show was given the news early. Chuck Lorre already has three shows on CBS (The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, and Two and a Half Men. I’ll overlook the last one.), so with Mom added, he’s taking over a lot of the schedule. Today, CBS; tomorrow, the world. This comedy stars Anna Faris and Allison Janney and follows Faris as a single mom getting her life back on track in Napa Valley while trying to stick to her newly sober lifestyle. I have no doubt that this show will be a success like his other comedies—he’s a genius at writing things that make me laugh. Source

The best news of the day in my opinion is the renewal of Criminal Minds for a 9th season—with all the cast returning! What would my Wednesday look like without this show on my schedule? Empty. Simply empty. Congratulations to the stellar cast, and thanks CBS for having a brain! Source